Projection device for presenting and reproducing reading matter



April 11, 1950 Filed Aug. 6, 1947 K. JELINEK PROJECTION DEVICE FORPRESENTING AND REPRODUCING READING MATTER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.KAREL JEL/NE'K ATTORNEY April 11, 1950 K. JELINEK 2,503,740

PROJECTION DEVICE FOR PRESENTING AND REPRODUCING READING MATTER FiledAug. 6, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. KAREL JEL/NEK MM; BY

A TTORNE Y A ril 11, 1950 Filed Aug. 6, 1947 K. JELINEK PROJECTIONDEVICE FOR PRESENTING I AND REPRODUCING READING MATTER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3j 7 4| z j [2: 53 U /33 so I F. 2o

I F/g 39 25 k 38 i r fl I I I I l I INVENTOR. KAREL JEL/NEK WW'MATTORNEY Patented Apr. 1 1, 1950 PROJECTION DEVICE FOR asm'rmc aspBEPRODUCING READ G MATTER Karel Jelinek, Blanch, CseohcslmkiaApplication August I, 1947, Serial No. 766,728

In Cscchoslo 12 vakfallay .1947

SCInlms. (0183-44) The invention relates to a device for presenting andreproducing reading matter, such as books and the like in a novel easilyreadable form.

The hitherto customary reading of books and the like reading matterinvolves a series of grave disadvantages.

(a) The individual lines end arbitrarily, for instance, sometimes in themiddle of the words or in the middle of sentences expressing a coherenttrain of thoughts.

(b) The reader must retrovert his look after each line to the next; thisnot only causes a loss of time, but irritates the nerves.

(c) The individual lines of the reading matter must be fixed by thereader and lifted from the grey appearance of the other lines; thismeans a great strain on the eyes; it also acts unfavorably on the nervesand often leads to near-sightedness.

The height of the lines and of the letters or pictures included in thereading text is unalterable.

(d) Mistakes in the text cannot be corrected and the paper cannot beused for reprinting purposes.

It is the object of this invention to eliminate the aforesaid drawbacks.

Therefore, the reading matter, as for instance the text of a book, is inconformity with this invention applied to an endless film in such amanner that the lines of the reading matter extend on the film inspirally-shaped adjacent tracks and in nearby parallel relationship tothe longitudinal edges of the film. The reading matter is continuouslyprojected fr om the film onto a screen, a ground glass plate and thelike in such a manner that the lines run in front of the reader fromright to left in a spiral continuation with a speed and a size which maybe sematteris improved by the invention. The reading may be accompaniedby music or speech lected' at will, thereby creating what may be calleda moving book."

This moving book may be placed in a suitable box. The reader has duringthe reading procedure both hands free and may use them for any desiredactivity. The reading speed is or even twentieth part of the hithertocustomary costs required for the printingand binding of the books andthe like.

Moreover, the distinctiveness of the reading through the aid ofadditional talking film strips; this may be of great help in theteaching and learning foreign languages.

Drawings and pictures may be used in addition to the reading matter forpurposes of clarification, these pictures either appearing as stationaryelements or being a part of the moving film itself.

Suitable coloring may be used for the projected reading matter, forinstance, a dark-green color for the projected lines and a white colorfor the background, or white letters may be projected on a dark-greenbackground; this will have a favorable influence on the eyes. 1

The daylight which is rather hard on the eyesight may be eliminated byproviding the reading device with suitable shading attachments.

The advantages of my invention, therefore, result from the low costs ofthe film manufacture, from the quick reading of the film, from thesavings in space and time, from the free movability of the hands of thereader, from low operating costs and from a reduction of the strain onthe nervous system.

The invention will now be described in detail and with reference to theaccompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of my reading device on line 2-4 ofFig. 2,

Fig. 2 is a plane view of the same,

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on line A--A of Fig. 2,

Fi 4 is a vertical sectional view on line B- ofFig. 1.

The device forming the subject matter of my invention comprisesessentially a casing P having an extension N which prevents directaccess ofthe daylight to a screen, such as a ground glass plate, notshown in the drawing, located in extension N and adapted to make thereading matter visible, an electromotor M which moves the film, opticalmeans 0 which enlarge the reading matter and a light source Z supplyingthe light for the film projection; the source of light may be a bulbwhich may be colored; its

-. light intensity may also be reduced in another manner, for instance,by a light filter.

The lines or letters of the reading matter are so arranged on the filmthat they appear in spiral succession. The filmmay have ordinary 3 size.Three rolls II, II, II are provided to transport and to guide the film.

The film is put in motion by an electromotor M which drives a toothedgear 2; this ear is mounted on shaft 3 which carries a friction roll 4,see Fig. 4; this roll is in frictional contact with disc 5 located onshaft 5; a spring I sur rounding shaft 6 presses disc 5 against roll 4,whereby rotational movement is imparted to disc 5 from motor M; thisrotation is then transmitted to the film conveying rolls l8, l1, IS.

A bevel gear 3 is mounted on the one end of shaft 8; this gear mesheswith another bevel gear ll, see Fig. 1, which is mounted on shaft 9; afriction roll II is mounted on the one end of shaft 3 and this roll islocated between two friction discs i2,- l3; these friction discs arefastened to sleeve l4-which is vertically displaceable on shaft l5;shaft 5 carries the film transporting roll it; the same shaft alsosupports disc which drives disc 20 located on shaft 2| of the filmtransporting roll IS.

The speed of film F may be adjusted by the provision of a friction roll4 located on shaft 3 which latter is supported in bearings 23, 24, seeFig. 4. The friction roll 4 may be displaced on shaft 3 by means of abutton 42 in such a manner that it contacts the roll disc 5 at a largeror smaller radial distance. The displacement of roll 4 is effected bybutton 42 located on the one end of a threaded spindle 43 which carriesscrew 44; this screw displaces roll 4 and thereby changes the rotationalspeed of disc 5. The change of the rotational speed of disc 5 is thentransmitted to the film transporting roll l6.

Rolls 16, i8 and thereby the film itself may be rotated in the directionof the film showing or opposite thereto or they may be stop edaltogether. The possibility of reversing the direction of the filmmovement is important because it enables the reader to reread a passage.For severing the film travel sleeve l4 and friction discs l2, I3attached thereto are provided; the sleeve is displaceable on shaft II bythe up and down movement of casing 25, which is connected with thesleeve. This displacement is efiected by a manually operated leverattached to casing 25 and rotatable about shaft 21; by means of thislever roll il may bebrought in contact with either one of the frictiondiscs l2 or I3, the contact being intensified by springs 25, 29, or itmav be stopped in an intermediary friction-free position. In thisintermediary position roll ll does not contact any of the discs l2, l3and the film F will be accordingly stopped.

The interruption of the fihn movement takes automatically place afterits final passing over the rolls I 8, it. This is effected in thefollowing manner.

Diaphragm I3 is downwardly moved during the film projection. A pusher 3|is connected with the diaphragm, see Fig. 3. A stop 32, see Fig. 1, islocated in the way of the downward movement of the diaphragm; stop 32 isfastened to rod 33 and this rod is connected with a lever 26. Ifdiaphragm is moved down and has reached the end .of its travel, pusher3| hits stop 32; the latter forces through the interaction of rod 33 andlever 26 casing 25 upwards; the friction discs i 2, l3 are moved in anintermediary inoperative position and the movement of the film isinterrupted.

The diaphragm 3. which has the form of a casing is provided in its rearwall with a slot 40, see Fig. 3; a slide 34 provided with a narrow slitcentered.

35 is located in front of the rear wall of the diaphragm; it isdisplaceable by means of screw 34; this slit has a width whichcorresponds approximately to the height of the lines of the readingmatter. Therefore there is never more than one line of the readingmatter projected through slit 35 and therefore visible on a suitablescreen, ground glass plate or the like. Slide 34 and silt 35 may beaccurately adjusted with regard to the lines of the reading matter byscrew 36.

The operationof diaphragm, see Figs. 1 and 3, is eflfected as follows.

A disc i is fastened on shaft l5 which carries film roll I5; a dog 31 isfastened to disc I; if'disc I and thedog 31 is rotated it entrains thetoothed wheel 38 located on shaft 33. This shaft is provided with anoutside thread meshing with screws 4| and these screws are connectedwith diaphragm 30; by rotation of the toothed wheel 33 and the resultingdisplacement of the screws 41 the diaphragm 30 and the slide 34 with itsslit 35 may be moved in parallel relationship.

The base plate 45 which carries light source Z is fastened to thediaphragm 30 and therefore movable with the same whereby guarantee isobtained that the light rays are always properly What I claim is:

1. Device for presenting and reproducing reading matter comprising in ahousing an endless film, reading matter applied to said endless film inthe form of helical adjacent continuous lines extending in nearbyparallel relationship to the longitudinal edges of said film, at leastthree film conveying rolls, means to adjust the speed of the filmmovement, a light source, a diaphragm, a slot in said diaphragm andoptical means to enlarge said lines and to project the enlarged linesthrough said slot, said speed adjusting means including a shaft, a motorto drive said shaft, a friction roll on said shaft, a friction disc inoperational contact with said friction roll, means to change the pointof operational contact of said disc and said roll and therewith therotational speed of said disc and means to transmit the change of speedto the film conveying rolls.

2. Device for presenting and reproducing reading matter comprising in ahousing an endless film, reading matter applied to said endless film inthe form of helical adjacent continuous lines extending in near-byparallel relationship to the longitudinal edges of said film, at leastthree film conveying rolls, means to adjust the speed of the filmmovement, a light source, a vertically displaceable diaphragm, a slot insaid diaphragm and optical means enlarging said lines and to make thesame visible, means to vertically displace the diaphragm and means tocontrol the said displacement in dependence upon the change of speedimparted to the film, said means including a film conveying roll, adriven first shaft carrying said roll, a second outwardly threadedshaft, screws on said second shaft connected with said diaphragm andmeans to rotate said second shaft from said first shaft.

3. Device for presenting and reproducing reading matter comprising in ahousing an endless film, reading matter applied to said endless film -inthe form of helical adjacent continuous'lines extending in near-byparallel relationship to the longitudinal edges of said film, at leastthree film conveying rolls, means to adjust the speed of the filmmovement, a light source, a vertically displaceable diaphragm, a slot insaid diaphragm and optical means enlarging said. lines and to makethesame visible, means to automatically stop the movement of the filmupon its final passage through the film conveying rolls said meansincluding a motor driven shaft, a friction roll located on said shaft,two vertically movable s friction discs on both sides of said roll, apusher KAREL JELINEK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Buckmore Oct. 30, 1894 MadalerAug. 2, 1910 Bolam et al Oct. 21, 1913 Partridge Dec. 28, 1915 BillingsJuly 11, 1916 Bloom Dec. 5, 1916 Schlicker Feb. 19, 1918 Cloud Apr. 13,1926 Kern Apr. 12, 1927 Bradford Sept. 6, 1927 Kroesen Sept. 16, 1930Robbins Jan. 15, 1935 Leavell Sept. 5, 1944 Lowden July 3, 1945

